Ask anyone who has ever used a pressure washer equipped with a standard wand to clean their deck, their driveway, their workshop or their exterior siding, and they can tell you immediately why you need a pressure washer surface cleaner attachment for your own DIY pressure washing project.
Put simply, a pressure washer surface cleaner attachment spreads out the water coming from your pressure washer nozzle. Using a shielded rotating arm, a surface cleaner attachment provides a more even cleaning, eliminating any streaking.
Plus, the wider surface area over which water is applied through a surface cleaner attachment cuts down the time you’ll spend on the job. And, the shielded arm means that you won’t get wet, a problem with regular pressure washing.
Read on for our look at the five best pressure washer surface cleaner attachments, along with some tips on how to choose an attachment and how to use it.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall:
Karcher Universal 15-Inch Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
Best Budget:
Janz 16-Inch Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
Best General-Purpose:
Twinkle Star 15″ Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
Best Overall
Karcher Universal 15-Inch Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
If you’re looking for a pressure washer surface cleaner that can handle a variety of surfaces quickly and easily, and also one that is compatible with a wide variety of pressure washers, you need look no further than the Karcher Universal 15-Inch model.
It is, in fact, the versatility of the Karcher Universal that earned it the best overall ranking in our list of the five best pressure washer surface cleaners. In addition to handling driveways, decks, and patios, you can also use this Karcher model on many hard-surface walls, including brick and stucco.
Product Features
With a standard quarter-inch quick-connect fitting, the Karcher Universal 15-inch attachment is immediately ready for use with most pressure washers rated at between 2,600 and 3,200 pounds per square inch (PSI) of operating pressure, delivering up to 2.7 gallons per minute (GPM) of water and cleaning agent.
In addition, this Karcher model comes equipped with both a shroud and a splash-free skirt, keeping you dry and ensuring safe operation while cleaning around your home.
Pros
- Makes pressure washing much faster
- Easy to maintain
- Easy to maneuver
Cons
- May not be compatible with older pressure washers
- Plastic nut on top may loosen
- Nozzles subject to clogging
Best Budget
Janz 16-Inch Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
Striking a perfect balance between performance and price, the Janz 16-Inch Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner easily earned its place on our list of the best pressure washer surface cleaners.
The dual high-pressure jets on the Janz attachment can dramatically cut the time it will take to clean surfaces around your home.
Product Features
In addition to its dual high-pressure jets, the Janz surface cleaner features broad compatibility with a range of gas-powered and electric-powered pressure washers rated between 2,000 PSI and 4,000 PSI, delivering between 1.8 and 3.7 GPM of water and cleaning agent.
Pros
- Much faster than fan nozzle
- No streaking
- Rolls smoothly
Cons
- May work better with commercial-grade pressure washers
- Noisy during use
Best General-Purpose
Twinkle Star 15″ Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
If you’re looking for a pressure washer attachment that is ready to go to work and stay at work throughout lengthy service, the Twinkle Star 15-Inch model should be your choice from our list of the best pressure washer surface cleaners.
Product Features
In addition to the pressure washer surface cleaner attachment itself, the Twinkle Star comes with a number of extras, including an extension wand, two replacement nozzles, nozzle cleaner, and thread seal tape. All of that means, of course, that downtime need not be a factor with the Twinkle Star attachment.
In addition, the Twinkle Star can operate at a pressure of up to 4,000 PSI, and is compatible with a wide range of pressure washers.
Pros
- Steel housing
- Comes with extra nozzles
- Easy to connect to pressure washer
Cons
- Extensions aren’t particularly durable
- Plastic tightening nut may loosen frequently
- Leaves streaks when not overlapped widely
DTE Stainless Steel Wall Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
While you could use a wide range of pressure washer surface cleaner attachments to clean walls, the DTE Stainless Steel Wall Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner is purpose-built for that job, and that’s why it made our list of the best pressure washer surface cleaner options on the market.
Product Features
The chief advantage of the DTE pressure washer surface cleaner is the size of its cleaning head. At 6.5 inches, it’s considerably smaller than other pressure washer surface cleaners on our list.
However, that size is just perfect for the required horizontal or near-horizontal operation of the attachment. The DTE pressure washer surface cleaner is easily maneuverable, so while its size may mean it will take some extra time to do the job, the work won’t be an exhausting or frustrating process.
Pros
- Good for stripping paint and for other surface preparation needs
Cons
- Cleaning surface is relatively small
- May be hard to match with pressure washer
Greenworks Surface Cleaner Universal Pressure Washer Attachment
For the budget-conscious consumer who nonetheless needs or wants quality pressure washing for their household, the Greenworks Surface Cleaner Universal Pressure Washer Attachment unquestionably is the top choice. And that’s why it has earned a place on our best pressure washer surface cleaner attachment list.
Product Features
Even as a budget model, the Greenworks pressure washer surface cleaner attachment still provides a cleaning width of 11 inches. That’s more than enough to dramatically speed up the work of cleaning the rough or tough surfaces around your household.
Also, considering the fact that the Greenworks attachment adds less than 2 pounds to the weight of your pressure washer, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an attachment that is easier to operate. Plus, its quarter-inch quick-connect feature means that it is compatible for use with most pressure washers.
Pros
- Spray is consistent and powerful
- Easy for older users to manage
- Needs little storage space
Cons
- Bearings may wear out sooner than expected
- Might be cumbersome for some users
- May not clean textured surfaces as well as some users would like
How to Use a Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
Using a pressure washer surface cleaner is largely an intuitive process. You simply attach your pressure washer to its water source and then connect your surface cleaner attachment to your pressure washer.
There are, though, a couple of things you should do to ensure optimum performance from your pressure washer surface cleaner attachment. First, you should survey the area you’re planning to wash and clear away any large or loose debris that could damage the attachment.
Once you have your surface cleaner attachment moving across the area you’re cleaning, you’ll need to keep it moving to ensure that you’re getting the area evenly cleaned.
As a final tip, be sure to overlap each pass you make with your surface cleaner attachment. Otherwise, you’re all but certain to end up with streaks on the area you’re cleaning, which of course defeats the purpose of your hard work.
Buyer’s Guide for the Best Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
There are a number of technical issues to consider as you ponder the purchase of a pressure washer surface cleaner attachment for use around your home.
For instance, if you plan to use your pressure washer surface cleaner attachment on areas that collect a lot of grease and grime, such as a garage or workshop floor, you’ll be well-advised to buy an attachment that is designed for use with hot water.
With hot water, of course, you’ll be able to get at least some of the oil and grime out of the floor each time you use your attachment.
Grease Bearing Is Best
Another technical consideration when purchasing a pressure washer surface attachment is whether or not the attachment is equipped with a grease bearing.
With a grease bearing, the spray mechanism of the surface cleaner attachment is getting continuous lubrication, even between uses, so that it won’t stick when it is in use.
Consider a Handlebar
From a viewpoint of comfort — particularly if you’re looking at a large-diameter pressure washer surface cleaner — you’ll probably want to buy a model that is equipped with handlebars. With handlebars, you’ll be able to more easily control your attachment than if it was simply attached to the end of your pressure washer.
FAQs on the Best Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
We’re sure that as you consider the purchase of the best pressure washer surface cleaner attachment for your intended usage, you’ll have some questions about what exactly it is that you’ll need to get your jobs done quickly and done well. Read on for an exploration of a few questions you may have.
What size of cleaning head is best?
Obviously, you’re considering the purchase of a pressure washer surface cleaner attachment to make quicker work of chores like keeping your driveway, deck, or patio clean.
In that light, you may think that the larger your surface cleaner attachment is, the better. But that’s not necessarily the case.
First of all, you’ll need to be sure that the size of the surface cleaner attachment you choose is compatible with the pressure washer to which you’ll be attaching it. If you choose an attachment that is too big for your pressure washer, it will disperse the pressure generated by the washer.
Overall, that will produce a weaker spray, which won’t clean as well as the pressure washer alone, and obviously defeats the purpose of buying a surface cleaner attachment in the first place.
In the end, your decision on a pressure washer surface cleaner attachment should focus on how easy it is for you to use. That consideration, in turn, could mean that a large attachment, while it could speed up the jobs for which you need it, is not your best choice in terms of ease of operation.
What water pressure Is best for a pressure washer surface cleaner?
Most pressure washer surface cleaners are rated for 4,000 or 5,000 pounds of pressure per square inch (PSI), but most also will have a minimum pressure that then needs to operate, which is 2,000 PSI.
As a rule of thumb, a 3,000 PSI rating will provide for the easy and effective operation of a pressure washer surface cleaner.
Are wheels necessary for a pressure washer surface cleaner?
As you look at the various models of pressure washer surface cleaners available, you’ll notice that some have wheels while others do not. So which is best? Well, if most of your work will involve cleaning roughly finished concrete, such as on walkways, you’ll likely want a wheeled surface cleaner.
With a wheeled surface cleaner, you’ll be able to more easily move across rough surfaces, which in turn will provide you with a more even cleaning of your targeted area.
Additionally, if you’re worried that you may not have sufficient strength to manage a pressure washer surface cleaner, you may want to consider a wheeled attachment, no matter the purpose for which you’ll be using it.
Wrapping up the Best Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner
We hope this post has provided the information you need to decide on the best pressure washer surface cleaner for your needs. As a reminder, our overall choice for the best pressure washer surface cleaner is the Karcher Universal 15″ Pressure Washer Surface Cleaner.
Are you considering painting the concrete you’re cleaning? Check out our post on the Best Concrete Paint.